The Great Wide World Over There
by wyoluvr
Summary: Truth telling time.


Title: The Great Wide World Over There  
Author: Criss Moody wyoluvr@yahoo.com  
Website: ficbitch.com/hpf  
Disclaimer: The WB and those dudes who made Superman own the characters. Just playin' in someone else's sandbox.  
Archive: The usual suspects. Otherwise, ask.  
Category: Humor / Future Story. Clark/Lex pre-slash.  
Rating: PG  
Spoilers: Nope.  
Summary: Truth telling time.  
Author's notes: Wow. I finally finished a Smallville story! hot damn! This was written for Livia's Ray Bradbury title challenge. http://www.debchan.com/livia/smallville/bradbury.html. Zahra is my beta HO and she loves me. As I worship her.

Right past the Hughes' barn, around the bend in the road where a tiny grove of willow trees grew, Clark rubbed his hands against each other and tried to calm down. 

Today was the day, the last day, or maybe the first day and he'd stopped making sense somewhere around 6 a.m. It was Graduation Day. In a lot of ways. 

Today was *it*. Clark was going to tell Lex the truth. The whole truth and he'd swear it on a stack of anything Lex put in front of him. It wasn't like he had that much to lose, not when measured it against all the lies. Lex would probably be the hardest person to tell so why not start there. Lex could put a hit on him; Chloe and Pete would just stare him to death. Sounded like a decent trade-off. 

Dad and Mom would kill him if they knew he was out there. Their protests at Clark and Lex's friendship had tapered off after it had become clear that only a nuclear holocaust would keep them apart and even then it would be hard. That didn't mean they didn't disapprove. That didn't mean his Dad hadn't counseled Clark to keep one eye open every single time he went over the mansion. 

But today Clark would walk up to a tiny podium, shake the principal's hand, and get his high school diploma. Pete, Chloe, and he would grin and smirk and make jokes and suffer through all the family-related insanity that surrounded days like this. And in two months, they'd all be on their ways to college: Pete and Clark were off to Metropolis University and Chloe was bound for Gotham College of Journalism. They were all graduating, leaving, becoming adults and Clark felt cheated in a weird, petty way because his friends had never really known him. Not everything. Heck, not even half. 

So. He'd called Lex right after sleep had been abandoned. Luckily, Lex was always up with the roosters and the stock market. Clark had picked up the phone and after on the ninth try gotten Lex.

// "Hey, Lex, uh, yeah, this is Clark."

"Good morning. Happy graduation day. To what do I owe the honor of such an early call?"

"Well, um, I was kinda hoping that, well, wecouldmeetbeforegraduation."

Brief pause. 

"Of course. Is there anything wrong? Need me to fix a few grades? Kill off an annoying classmate or twenty?"

"No, no. Uh, just wanna see you. To talk."

"Anytime, Clark, anytime."

"Cool." //

And here he was. Waiting for Lex. The sound of tires spinning on gravel and the low growl of a car engine signaled Lex's arrival. 

"Clark." Lex stepped from the low-slung, silver, gah, Aston Martin Vanquish. Oh, pretty. Gorgeous car. Guh.

"Clark? I think you may be drooling."

"Uh, what? Oh, sorry. Just, nice car, ya know?"

Bemused smirk #11 as Lex shut the car door and leaned on the car.

"I know. You wanted to see me?"

"Uh, yeah."

Lex crossed his arms across his chest and waited. Then he waited some more. Studied the slight scuff on his shoes. Uncrossed his arms to scratch the back of his head. Arms crossed again and he waited. Several children were born and the earth made a few revolutions around the sun before Clark cleared his throat to speak.

"So, I wanted to tell you something." Clark made a brief effort not to pace. Failed miserably. He did, however, manage to not to speed pace and make his entire confession meaningless.

"Alright. Fire away."

"Yeah, so. I know you've suspected a lot of things. Like that I'm more than what I look like. That I'm hiding stuff. That I'm not just Clark, I'm…"

"Stop."

Damn, he'd been babbling. Okay, he'd start again.

"What I'm trying to say Lex is that I'm…"

"Christ, Clark, were you listening to me? Stop!" Lex's voice rose and then gentled as he continued. "Just stop. You don't need to say anything. About anything."

"But…" Clark halted smack in front of Lex. Tried to read his eyes but found that Lex had slammed the wall of 'don't even bother to ask' down.

"No, Clark. No buts." Pale face arched to the sky, glowing under the bright sunlight. Lex lowered his face and met Clark's eyes. And dropped the wall. Fierce determination. Loyalty. Trust. 

"Clark, you're my friend. And despite the rather rocky road we have traversed, I think that we've become closer over the years. Maybe I don't know everything about you. You certainly don't know everything about me. But I think that perhaps I do know the measure of the man. And I'm glad to call him friend."

Lex clapped one hand to Clark's shoulder.

"I hope that you can say the same."

A million and one future possibilities crawled over Clark's skin like ants on parade. He could tell Lex. He still could. Would there be any point? Did it matter?

"I'd really like to tell you, Lex."

"That's what matters, Clark." 

They stood for a moment, the early morning air just beginning to lose the night chill.

"Now, would you like a ride back to the farm?"

"Uh, sure."

They quietly got into the car. Clark resisted the urge to ask if he could drive. At least until *after* he'd graduated. As they got back onto the road, Clark felt the silence in the car like a comforting hug. This had to be the best graduation day anyone had ever had. 

Because Lex Luthor was his best friend. And he trusted Clark.

Plus, Clark had an even chance of driving an Aston Martin Vanquish sometime that day.

Wow.

the end.


End file.
